The Automatons, sometimes referred to as the Automaton Legion and self-denominated as both The Collective of Cyberstan and The Automaton Collective (Automaton Language: Automatiska Kollektivet, or 01000001 01110101 01110100 01101111 01101101 01100001 01110100 01101001 01110011 01101011 01100001 00100000 01001011 01101111 01101100 01101100 01100101 01101011 01110100 01101001 01110110 01100101 01110100), are one of the enemy factions in the Second Galactic War, having control over 40 planets.

The Automatons are a mechanized army created by the secessionist half-human Cyborgs, who had been imprisoned on their homeworld of Cyberstan after unilaterally declaring independence from Super Earth in the First Galactic War. The first Automaton prototypes originated on a ship called Vessel 00, having been constructed and launched in secret from Cyberstan by the incarcerated Cyborgs.^[1]

Automaton/Cyborg "Society"

“	We, the collective from Cyberstan, unanimously assert our independence from Super Earth. We have the right to defend our home from the brainwashed Helldivers. Our children, the Automatons, will not suffer as we have under the oppression of Super Earth!	„
	~ Decrypted message from the Cyborgs[2][3]

“	The Cyborgs hide behind their battlements, employing an army of replaceable slaves to fight their war for them. Despite all their augmentations, they have not rid themselves of cowardice.	„
	~ Democracy Officer

The robotic Automatons show patterns of behavior with the presumable intent of emulating certain applicable cultural traditions of their progenitors and masterminds: the secessionist Cyborg Nation, who created the Automaton Legion in secret in order to free themselves from their century-long enslavement on Cyberstan by Super Earth following their defeat in the First Galactic War.^[1]

Like the Cyborgs, the Automatons are a "Socialist" society, opposing the "Capitalism" of Super Earth. This apparent socialist ideology is reflected by their use of a mechanized Red Star as their nation's emblem.

• 
  Automaton propaganda translating to: "We are the Machinery! We are the Collective! The Collective stands united against all threats behind a wall that cannot be broken!"

Analysis of deciphered Automaton signs and posters seem to be collectivist, always appealing to "The Collective". In these posters, they refer to themselves as "Comrades" and even appear to extend care for their "comrades"' wellbeing to the point of labelling machinery with warnings for any potential hazards that could compromise their metallic bodies. Additionally, they seem to have a sort of twisted marching cadence which all Automaton units blare loudly during patrols.

Intercepted Automaton chatter also shows that they are capable of having independent thoughts and feeling emotions such as sorrow for their lost comrades and vengefulness, although Super Earth has labelled this as "disinformation".^[4]

“	Early reports indicate the Megafactories contain crude simulacra of government districts and cultural monuments. Evidence of the dystopian rule the Cyborgs envision, should their conquest go unchallenged.	„
	~ Democracy Officer

On their homeworld of Cyberstan, it appears the Automatons and their Cyborg forefathers have spared no resource or effort in defiling Super Earth's attempts at "Democratizing" the planet after the First Galactic War to the best of their mechanized forms' ability. The surface of Cyberstan is significantly covered in sprawls of manufactoria, pumping columns of smoke out of the chimneys of their factories and Cyborg Assembly Units, the spaces in between filled with zigurat-like buildings, possibly communal housing blocks emblazoned with the official black, white and red standard of the Collective.

Wherever the self-actuated socialist robots have not constructed their factories or zigurats, they have still gone the extra mile to pollute the surface of the planet with massive statues seemingly memorializing those Cyborgs who perished during the First Galactic War and perpetuating the memory of their uprising against the Federation. These memorials often seem to depict the Cyborgs as equals to their Automaton underlings, even attempting to endearingly depict them as a sketch of a "parent" with their "child".

What little remains of the frigid surface of Cyberstan is no doubt polluted by the massive amounts of industrial and urban outflow that is flushed out of the megafactories, the sun in the sky blotted out by the permanent smoke from the Automaton War Machine.

Automatons also seem to use a substance they call "Explodium". Whether it is a natural mineral or it is synthesized in some way is not known. "Explodium" is often found contained in barrels scattered throughout Automaton bases and presumably fuels their blasters, cannons and other blasters.

The Automatons seemingly inherited all of the same violent customs from their progenitors, the Cyborg Nation: they routinely pursue and kill fleeing Super Earth civilians, a behavior best seen in Mega Cities during defenses. Whenever the Automatons kill a defenseless civilian or a heroic S.E.A.F. soldier they kidnapped, they seem to enjoy dismembering and disemboweling their prisoners, as countless Helldivers have reported the gratuitous spread of human blood and viscera that lay all throughout Automaton Outposts, as well as often finding grotesque totems and decoys decorated with human torsos, heads, arms and legs. Some Automaton units even use human skulls as decoration, and the Automatons often take care to fill the supports of their banners with human skulls.

Cyborg Population Crisis

“	When Cyberstan was invaded, we did not yet know the Cyborgs were behind the assault. In an act of mercy, we activated a euthanasia protocol to spare them the pain of enslavement underneath the Automatons. But it would seem they endured; we may never know the true extent of their treacheries against us. Though the quietus of the Cyborgs failed, it seems to have had another effect: sterilization. The Cyborg Production Units within the Megafactories are not merely war factories; they are the means by which the Cyborgs hope to synthetically avert their own extinction.	„
	~ Democracy Officer

During the Automaton Reclamation of Cyberstan that started in 2184, Federation authorities activated a euthanasia protocol for the imprisoned Cyborg population. The Ministry of Truth states they did not know about the Cyborgs' connection to the Automatons at the time, and that High Command was trying to "spare them the pain of enslavement underneath the Automatons". Intentional or not, this act would stoke the Cyborgs' hatred of Super Earth, who they saw as trying to "eradicate them in the name of Freedom" - a hatred that the Automatons would carry as they attempted to avert their progenitors' population decline.

While Super Earth's ethnic quietus of the Cyborgs at the start of the Second Galactic War failed, it would have another, equally devastating effect on the cybernetic population: sterilization. Without the ability to reproduce, the newly freed Cyborgs would eventually go extinct. Their solution was to produce new Cyborgs by growing them in pod-like artificial wombs, artificially averting their own extinction while also bolstering their numbers for a future conflict with the Federation.^[5]

However, the bio-synthetic process to produce new Cyborgs in sufficient numbers would require massive amounts of organic material and production units. The hydrogen-rich caverns of Cyberstan provided all the energy needed, while the Automatons would gather the necessary organic material by grinding up dead Federation citizens into Orgo-Plasma, starting in September 2184.^[6]

Automaton Legion Overview

List of Automaton Units

Trooper	Commissar	Scout Strider	Berserker

Devastator	Hulk	Tank	War Strider

Dropship	Gunship	Factory Strider

Cyborgs

Radical	Agitator	Vox Engine

List of Automaton Structures

Automaton Fabricator	Bulk Fabricator	Cannon Tower	Detector Tower

Stratagem Jammer	Gunship Facility	Mortar Emplacement	Anti-Air Emplacement

Automaton Defenses	Transmission Network	Bio-Processor	Refinery

Command Bunker	Automaton Orbital Cannon

Sub-Factions

• Cyborg Legion
• Jet Brigade
• Incineration Corps

This section of the article refers to the Cyborg sub-faction of the Automatons in Helldivers 2. For the Cyborg faction from Helldivers 1, check their article HERE

“	The form of these Cyborgs differ from those fought in the First Galactic War. They have altered their augmentations, but their violent, hateful nature remains the same. The Megafactories serve a critical role: they are the production site of new Cyborgs. Vast Cyborg Production Units synthesize and grow human tissue at unnatural rates, forming twisted bipeds upon which cybernetic components are grafted. What emerges cannot be called human.	„
	~ Democracy Officer

The Cyborgs of the Cyborg Legion are the progenitors of the Automatons. Thought defeated after the First Galactic War, they have revealed themselves as the masterminds behind the Automaton Legion and have entered the battlefield to fight against Liberty once more.

The Cyborgs in themselves behave much like the Illuminate Overseers, being fewer in number but tougher and more dangerous individually. However, unlike the Overseers, the Cyborgs act as a force multiplier for the already lethal Automaton units, as not only do the Cyborgs themselves lead the self-actuated belligerents, but they can actually enhance them during the battle to make them even more lethal. An Automaton being controlled by a Cyborg usually has their eyes glowing with a fiery orange and will move faster and attack without pause when possible. So far, Cyborgs can control all variants of Troopers, Devastators and Berserkers within a 10 meter radius of them as they charge into combat.

So far, there are 3 Cyborg units.

Units

• Radical
  • Cyborgs with little to no armor who instead charge towards Helldivers at full speed while using Heavy Shotgun Armcannons and Smoke Grenades. If they get too close, the Radical will use martial arts to knock Divers to the ground, dealing devastating damage if they don't outright kill them.
• Agitator
  • Fully armored Cyborgs who can take command of Automaton units and lead them against Helldivers.
• Vox Engine
  • The Vox Engine is a towering mech equipped with lateral laser miniguns, 4 tracked wheels and with 2 mounted laser autocannons for arms and a missile battery on its back.
  • The Vox Engine will always be loudly playing Cyborg propaganda and will have a loud alarm blare when entering combat.
  • Vox Engines replace Factory Striders in the spawn pool.

“	The Automatons have deployed a new series of specialised models on this planet. These upgraded bots utilise stolen Jump Pack technology, heartlessly pillaged from the bodies of fallen Helldivers and reverse-engineered into something nearly unrecogniseable.	„
	~ Jet Brigade Description

The Jet Brigade is a division consisting of Automatons with stolen LIFT-850 Jump Pack technology. Automatons with Jetpacks have been a part of Automaton infantry since the beginning but have been slowly dialed back since until they were basically nonexistent, only to reappear in mass on October 18th, 2184. They were built in secret on Chort Bay for a long time, with the Automaton's search for titanium likely relating to them. The materials to build the Jet Brigade were ever taken from Imber or Claorell before they were liberated.

The main differentiator between the Jet Brigade and regular Automatons is their heavy use of jetpacks, unique chrome finish, and their Commanders, which are variants of the Marauder equipped with machine guns instead of laser pistols. While they are fragile, with their bulky backpack exploding after a well placed shot and having the same amount of armor as the Troopers, they are still very dangerous. Reports from the field indicate they are able to gun down S.E.A.F. and Helldivers with a handful of shots and are impervious to suppressive fire while also capable of calling for reinforcements.^[7]

The Jet Brigade is also capable of launching attacks on worlds controlled by Super Earth without needing to originate the attack from a neighboring world. This rules out retaking a lesser-defended origin of attack rather than dealing directly with the attacking force, or effectively using the Democracy Space Station's Orbital Blockade. As exampled on Menkent, the DSS remains able to provide support, but cannot halt the Jet Brigade's efforts.

History

The Jet Brigade had been built on Chort Bay for a long time, but needed titanium to build their alloy, so the Automatons launched attacks towards Imber, where a large repository of titanium was located. After days of fighting, Operation Titanium Belt would ultimately end with a Helldiver victory, but the Automatons were able to attack Imber twice during the operation, giving the Automatons 51 hours on Imber to possibly extract some titanium from the planet.

After this setback, the Automatons decided to move their efforts to find the critical resources needed for the Jet Brigade to Claorell when it was fully lost on September 25th. On this planet, they began deep-mantle mining operations to use extreme heat and pressure near the planet's core to create an extremely strong and ductile chromium-cobalt-nickel alloy. These activities were crushed on October 4th, when Operation Freedom's Forge was issued to the Helldivers, liberating Claorell on the 8th, with the mines being repurposed for the Democracy Space Station. The Automatons launched another attack on Claorell to try and retake the mines but were repelled. In total, the Automatons spent 13 days on Claorell to create the chromium-cobalt-nickel alloy; this is the most likely candidate to how the Jet Brigade got its alloy.

On October 13th, enemy resistance on Choohe started to rise. This was the staging ground for the Jet Brigade, who would now strike into Super Earth territory. Over the next 4 days, enemy resistance on Choohe reached 5.00%, and then the Brigade would appear on the Galactic Map on Choohe. One and a half hours later, the Brigade invaded Matar Bay, which would fall with high casualties on both sides. Next, they invaded Martale with a slightly smaller force, also winning this battle. Then, Marfark was invaded; now with a much smaller force, the Jet Brigade would finally be defeated on Marfark, retreating to recover from its losses.

After the attacks into the Andromeda Sector, a high-security database was established by the Automatons on Matar Bay, containing key intel about the Jet Brigade, including the location of its fabricators. Super Earth High Command became aware of this when confidential data recovered from Automaton strongholds was decrypted and identified the database. This was one of the objectives of Operation Adamant Resolve on October 30th. Matar Bay was liberated, revealing it to contain valuable intel on the location of the Jet Brigade's Staging Ground and confirming that the Jet Brigade was swiftly recovering.

That swift recovery would come on November 10th, when they began to amass on Vernen Wells. Enemy resistance went up to 5.00% and then the Jet Brigade was spotted just as construction of the DSS had stopped. 6 hours after being first spotted, they invaded Tarsh. The battle for the Logistics Hub lasted a gruelling 24 hours, but the Jet Brigade got their victory, destroying the DSS Logistics Hub and giving the Automatons the exact location of the DSS on Gaellivare. 9 hours later, Mastia was under attack, but at the same time, the DSS came online and 3 hours later Mastia fell. Now the Jet Brigade had reached Gaellivare, where the DSS was stationed. The battle of Gaellivare was a spectacle to behold, with the DSS and Jet Brigade Destroyers both in orbit around one planet fighting for supremacy. On the 15th, the Helldivers voted to move the DSS out of danger and to Mastia, where the Mastia Gambit would be attempted; after a day, however, it would return to Gaellivare and the Jet Brigade.

After days of fighting, Operation Spark of Liberty was declared a success at the cost of Gaellivare, but the Jet Brigade still remained on the planet until the 18th, when the Jet Brigade would invade Imber to return to Automaton space. Little did they know this move would seal their fate, as with the help of the DSS, Gaellivare was liberated, trapping the Jet Brigade on Imber, an ironic location due to it being the original objective of the Automatons during Operation Titanium Belt. On November 20th, 2184, Imber was liberated, crushing the Jet Brigade in Freedom's hands. However, the Automatons still possessed the means of creating a new Jet Brigade and it would only be a matter of time.

The Automaton intel from Matar Bay had been decrypted, revealing Choohe to be the staging ground for the Jet Brigade. High Command ordered that Choohe be liberated and the collection of 150,000,000 Automatons that might have operated along with the Jet Brigade. Operation Jetclipper was declared a failure, as Choohe still stood in Automaton hands until the next day, but 89,601,000 drives had been salvaged from the operation and were interrogated for the location of the Jet Brigade Fabricators. In the New Year of 2185, intel from the Staging Grounds on Choohe was finally deciphered, revealing the Jet Brigade Fabricators to be on Chort Bay. After blitzing through Lesath, the Helldivers deployed 30 thousand strong to the planet's surface to end the Jet Brigade once and for all.

Long-range imagery of Chort Bay was able to confirm the presence of Jet Brigade factories on its surface. However, no jetpack-augmented units were spotted on the planet. For this reason, High Command entertained the possibility that the Automatons had not yet managed to rebuild their force in any significant capacity. Unbeknownst to High Command, the reason that no elements of the Jet Brigade were spotted on the surface of Chort Bay was because the partially reconstructed Jet Brigade moved to Menkent from the 28th of January to the 1st of February.

In all likelihood, the sudden jump in resistance on the nightfall of February 1st was the last elements of the reconstructed Jet Brigade arriving on Menkent. Whether this was some sort of planned evacuation or part of preparations for a future offensive is unknown, although what is clear is that the threat that the Jet Brigade poses has not yet passed. However, with their factories on Chort Bay destroyed, the Brigade is left without its means of reinforcement.

However, they were not finished. In the chaos caused by the Incineration Corps, the Jet Brigade resurfaced with new factories on Aurora Bay to attack Mavelon Creek. Whilst both would be defeated on Popli IX and the Jet Brigade destroyed again on Claorell, and would disappear from the galactic map for a time. However, over a month later on the 26th of June, a large-scale, coordinated Automaton offensive would be launched without warning, with forward orbital observation posts confirming the rebuilt Jet Brigade was once again vanguard of this assault.

Unconfirmed reports indicated that these formidable adversaries exhibited new capabilities, reports which the Helldivers (and one unlucky Strohmann news reporter)^[8] would swiftly confirm as jetpack-equipped Devastators and Hulks rocketed up into the sky only to drop down onto their heads. Not only that, but the Jet Brigade had also expanded in size since its previous deployment, now supporting two mobile divisions, allowing it to attack multiple planets at the same time. Time will tell if the Helldivers will be able to wipe out this threat once and for all.

“	An Automaton unit equipped with flame throwers and incendiary ammunition is active on this planet. These wanton arsonists will not rest until they have razed all that humankind holds dear.	„
	~ Incineration Corps Description

The Incineration Corps are a new type of Automaton force that appeared across several systems on March 18th, 2185. They are equipped with incendiary munitions and have a unique phosphorus white and red paintjob, with a red rack-toothed flame as their ensign.

History

On March 2, 2185, the Automatons launched a massive attack on the Deep Mantle Forge Complex on Claorell in tandem with 3 other Automaton attacks elsewhere. The Helldivers were ordered to defend Claorell at all costs, and while the planet fell 2 days later, the Helldivers were able to re-liberate the world a couple of days afterwards. In the MO victory briefing message, High Command stated that according to intel streams, the Automatons were potentially building a new strike force of even more nefarious intentions than the Jet Brigade. Whilst it was unclear what the bots were truly up to at the time, the vicious attack on Claorell made it clear that the bots were up to no good and were clearly seeking the rich resources from the Complex to build something vile.

It is still unclear as to how the Automatons were able to gather the resources to build the Incineration Corps. Although the Automatons were present on Claorell for roughly 4 days, they were encircled as their supply line back to Cyberstan was cut off due to Lesath remaining under Super Earth control. It is possible that they were still able to traverse through Claorell's neighbor, Automaton-controlled Vog-Sojoth and somehow remain undetected in bypassing Lesath. Still, it overall remains a mystery as to how the Incineration Corps was built and where exactly their fabrication centers for them are.

On March 18th, some weeks after the attack on Claorell, the Incineration Corps made their first ever appearance in the Second Galactic War. Briefly present on Automaton-controlled Marfark and Matar Bay, the Incineration Corps then launched two massive assaults on both Martale and Bekvam III, officially marking their first appearance in the galaxy. Simultaneously, the normal Automaton fleet led their own attack further north on Vega Bay. The Helldivers would collectively engage on Martale, with Bekvam and Vega Bay largely left to their own devices. By the next day, Bekvam had fallen to the Incineration Corps while Vega Bay had fallen to the normal Automaton invasion. Luckily, the Helldivers were able to repel the attack on Martale as the DSS's Eagle Storm booster had held the Automaton advance long enough for the Helldivers to recover.

Following the successful defense of Martale, the Helldivers turned to the Nanos Sector as the heavily-staffed Automaton garrison on Bekvam III launched a massive attack on both Julheim and Charon Prime, with the Incineration Corps being present on the former. A significant Helldiver contingent went to battle on Julheim while Charon was largely abandoned. Then, an opportunity to liberate Bekvam III to end both attacks was spotted with the Automaton contingent on Bekvam depleted. Ultimately, despite a strong liberation boost on Bekvam thanks to the Heavy Ordnance Distribution feature of the DSS, the Helldivers ultimately failed to liberate Bekvam in time and both Julheim and Charon fell to the Automatons.

The Incineration Corps remained stationed on Julheim and eventually went on to attack Dolph and Charbal-VII. Eventually, Julheim was liberated, but not before both Dolph and Charbal-VII already fell to the Automatons. Whilst the Incineration Corps was defeated on Julheim, it was clear that the Helldivers' first engagement with them was tumultuous at best, and a disaster at worst.

Some days later, SEAF West was in crisis. The Automatons stomped through the Andromeda, Ymir, Trigon, and Xzar Sectors unimpeded, and by late March 31st their victories had reached as far as Ingmar.

Units

As of the time of writing, there are four unique Incinerator units:

Pyro Troopers

Light units equipped with backpack-fed flamethrowers and incendiary grenades. Like Jet Brigade Raiders, their backpacks may burst when damaged.

Incendiary MG Devastator

Medium units with ballistic shields and semi-automatic laser cannon. Like Helldiver laser weaponry, laser bolts will set targets on fire.

Conflagration Devastator

Medium units with ballistic shields and semi-automatic incendiary shotgun. A single hit from a shotgun blast can kill even those wearing Inflammable heavy armor at close range.

Hulk Firebomber

Heavy units armed with incendiary grenade launchers and flamethrowers. They use indirect fire at longer ranges, lobbing grenades over cover, and direct fire just beyond range of their flamethrowers.

Their comrades generally use standard Automaton fusion weapons with some differences:

• Troopers can throw incendiary grenades. Their slow throw speed offers less time to return the grenade once landed, but the grenades are more easily caught mid-flight. Automaton incendiary grenades have a seemingly larger radius of effect than those provided to Helldivers.
• Troopers use shoulder-mounted fusion cannons rather than rocket launchers.

Additionally, the Incineration Corps are strategically more numerous than the Jet Brigade. Whereas the Jet Brigade is displayed as a single 'division' (later increased to two as of the 26th of June) moving from planet to planet on the galactic map, the Incineration Corps can have up to three active divisions all operating on three separate planets at any one time, allowing corps to spearhead major Automaton offensives across multiple fronts. This makes sense as a military corps is much larger than a brigade.

Automaton / Cyborg "Language"

Scribbled onto almost all structures, as well as on propaganda, it can be easily noticed that the Automatons utilize their own unique language. It is likely that this language was developed not by the Automatons themselves but by their progenitors, the Cyborgs.

After some months of training, aspiring cryptologists have managed to decipher most of the alphabet utilized by the Automatons.

It appears the Automatons, or the Cyborgs, hijacked an ancient language of Earth known as "Swedish" and adapted it into their own alphabet. Much like Swedish, the Automaton language is written from top to bottom and is read from left to right. Besides this fabricated language, the Automatons utilize standard terrestrial binary for their military communications.

In contrast to this alphabet, the spoken language heard from the Cyborgs themselves is a chimera of various languages from Earth developed over more than a century, combining a multitude of words, intonation and speech patterns from English, German, French, Swedish and Russian.^[9]

Translations

• 
  "Machinery for everyone / Everyone for the machinery"
• 
  "Technology equalizes / Technology uplifts / Together / All shall be brought home"
• 
  "Side by side / Brothers in arms / Spill blood!"
• 
  "We are the Machinery! We are the Collective! The Collective stands united against all threats behind a wall that cannot be broken!"
• 
  "Ancient Home"
• 
  "You gave us hope / Now it's our turn"
• 
  "Together / You are a cog in the machine / You are the Collective"
• 
  "Freedom / Do your part / For the Collective"
• 
  "Everything for the Collective!"
• 
  "Courage! / 1986 1104 / This machine was built by the Robot Collective"
• 
  "Avoid all exposure to fire / Warning! The container contains Explodium"
• 
  "Loaded to fight our enemies / Genuine Explodium / Worthy for war"
• 
  "Warning, comrade / Strong magnetic field!"
• 
  "Warning, remember comrade! Disconnect power before maintenance!"
• 
  "Do not block the door / Our comrades must advance"
• 
  "Our massive weapons shoot them out of the heavens! They are diving into their deaths!"

Tactics

Battling Automatons requires Helldivers to adopt a drastically different approach compared to battling the Terminids. Rather than relying on melee tactics like their bug-like counterparts, they are instead equipped with a vast array of projectile weaponry. Thus, Helldivers need to find a good balance between offense and defense, seeking cover whenever possible and focusing on rapidly disassembling the Automaton's heavy hitters before they can unleash their devastating attacks.

While many Automaton models are well armored, their general humanoid structures possess a very notable weakness in their heads. Precise shots to the head, even on heavier enemies like Devastators, can concuss and destroy them with ease. Larger enemies have vents, generally located on their back. They can be preferable to other weak points due to their larger area and bright orange glow, making them easier to hit when your foe is facing away from you.

Automatons can be rapidly deployed in large numbers via Dropships, which are called in with signal flares by the general infantry units when alerted of a Helldiver's presence. If reinforcements are called, Helldivers can disrupt their deployment by shooting the dropship's thruster with heavy anti-armor weapon such as the Recoilless Rifle, Expendable Anti-Tank, Quasar Cannon or Anti-Materiel Rifle. It should be noted that this may not kill or even damage all of the bots on board the dropship. All Helldivers are therefore recommended to exercise caution near recently liberated Automaton dropships, and prioritize bringing down dropships with smaller automaton units more likely to be killed by the explosion, or ships that will fall and crush more bots below if shot down.

Automatons can also be produced at outposts and objective areas via Fabricators set up in said locations. Destroying the Fabricators can be done in a similar fashion to demolishing bug hives, by serving a fresh hot cup of liber-tea in the form of a grenade down their exhaust vents, or simply leveling the entire area using Eagle strikes or orbital bombardments. Be warned that a Fabricator will explode rather violently when destroyed, so Helldivers are to keep their distances or stay close to the ground when making their deliveries.

Automaton Outposts are defended by a majority of Troopers patrolling and manning machine gun emplacements, along with a wide variety of larger units such as Scout Striders and Devastators, while large outposts can even include Hulks, Annihilator Tanks and Factory Striders. Therefore, it is advised to approach heavy outposts utilizing stealth as much as possible before delivering as much simultaneous and overwhelming democratic force as possible. On higher difficulties, outposts may be guarded by Cannon Towers which are only vulnerable from behind, and largely brush off small-arms fire.

Stealth Tactics

• Any Trooper variant can be stealthily eliminated with two melee strikes, taking Troopers out with melee does not make noise and will not alert nearby Automaton, granted you are out of their line of sight.
  • The Elite Trooper variants can be taken out the same way, just with three melee strikes instead.
• When spotted by any Automaton the player has a chance to dive, crouch or move behind any cover for a couple seconds. This will not alert Automatons into calling for Dropships, but they will usually investigate the area the player was spotted so the player must move to stay hidden.
• If Automaton are taken out from a distance any remaining Automaton will investigate the area the Automaton was killed before searching in the direction the gunfire came from. This can be used to bait Automaton out of cover, but they will spot the player eventually by tracking the gunfire.
• For some reason, Impact grenades do not alarm Automaton if the explosion is out of their line of sight.

Galactic Geography

The Automatons occupy eight Sectors: Valdis, Lacaille, Hydra, Trigon, Tanis, Andromeda, Ymir and Gellert. They have also previously occupied six other Sectors, which are the Severin, Xzar, Theseus, Marspira, and Talus Sectors.

The Automatons reside on the Western side of the Galaxy, having reached as far as Tibit and Demiurg. For three months the Legion held an impenetrable fortress in the Severin Sector, but in only a few weeks the Automatons were pushed out of Federation space back to where they came from. Then, a mere 3 days after their eradication at Malevelon Creek, the Automatons invaded the Valdis Sector and the rest of the north-western galactic rim, establishing their base of power at Cyberstan, the old homeworld of the Cyborgs. This attack has since been referred to as "The Reclamation", as this was the name that it was referred to within intercepted Automaton signals.

From April to August, the Automatons expanded their odious fief, spanning a vast expanse that stretched from Merga IV to Vandalon IV at the height of their power. However, this overextension was soon turned around, as the Helldivers severed the Automaton dominion in half during Operation Andromeda.

Through the end of 2184, the bots resided in a slim corridor of space, flanked by the S.E.A.F. itching for a fight. They tried to solve this issue and learn from their mistakes; instead of marching West to heavily defended positions, they moved their attention East to sectors untouched by the war. These attempts proved futile, as they were pushed into a small corner of Freedom-hating space.

Into early 2185, the Automatons managed to take significant ground from S.E.A.F. forces through their major offensive beginning in March. They now have full control of much of the Northwestern galactic rim while also making significant gains in the Ymir, Andromeda, Nanos and Trigon Sectors. They have also continued to harry the S.E.A.F. further north as they maintain their holds in the Lacaille, Hydra, Tanis, and Gellert Sectors. Currently, their vast expanse spans from Choepessa IV all the way to Demiurg, a massive overextension of territory. With Helldiver attention split across the galaxy between the ever-resilient plague known as the Terminids and the raging battle for Super Earth itself against the resurgent Illuminate, only time will tell when this occupation will end.

Sectors

So far, during the Second Galactic War, 49 billion Automatons and 1.4 billion Helldivers have died on the Automaton Front. Below are statistics about all the Sectors:

Sector	Status	Automatons Killed	Helldivers KIA
Severin Sector	Super Earth Control	3.9 Billion	170.4 Million
Xzar Sector	Super Earth Control	2.6 Billion	86.4 Million
Trigon Sector	Automaton Presence	8.2 Billion	237.9 Million
Theseus Sector	Super Earth Control	4.5 Million	117,300
Valdis Sector	Automaton Control	2.2 Billion+	196.1 Million+
Lacaille Sector	Automaton Control	9.5 Billion	265 Million
Hydra Sector	Automaton Control	9.8 Billion	305.5 Million
Andromeda Sector	Automaton Control	12.2 Billion	269.5 Million
Ymir Sector	Automaton Control	2.5 Billion	74.4 Million
Marspira Sector	Automaton Presence	9 Billion	215.6 Million
Talus Sector	Super Earth Control	4.9 Billion	131.3 Million
Tanis Sector	Automaton Presence	8.7 Billion	202.8 Million
Gellert Sector	Automaton Control	2.6 Billion	58.1 Million
Nanos Sector	Super Earth Control	14 Billion	94.9 Million
Sagan Sector	Automaton Presence	1.6 Billion	35.9 Million
Kelvin Sector	Super Earth Control	477.9 Million	15 Million

References